Ask what age kids came out of car seat?

[Random18]

My kids aren’t at that stage yet.
But we are having to buy a new car seat for her.
I know the law is 135cm or 12 years old.
She’s about 128cm at the moment at 7 years old.
So potentially she could be out of the seat at 8 years old which seems awful young.

Can you keep them in the seat after 135 cm?

I think after 150cm it becomes dangerous to have the seat. You don't have to go past 135cm. It will depend on the car, the car seat and the proportions of the child.

A "leggy" child will probably need the booster a bit longer than one with a long body i mean

If you are buying a new seat - watch the upper weight limit. DD was 9 when she stopped using hers but she is tall (11/12yrs clothes) she was 145cm but hit the weight limit for the seat we had.

Dd was 11 and 145cm when she stopped using her booster seat. Ds1/2 are 8 and 9 and still use them and will until they can sit properly in the car with the seatbelt sat correctly across them.
They are one of the few that still use them of their class and I totally judge their parents for not using them.

Lol at 150cm, I am only a couple of cm taller than that!

There is also a weight limit normally 35kg

My dd(10) is just 135cm but very long backed, and no longer fits safely in her HBB, even though in theory it goes up to 150cm. So we’ve had to swop to a basic booster cushion, which I’m not happy about. She’ll be on that until the belt sits correctly without it.

My 9 year old is 140 cms in height so has come out of one.

Dd was nearly 6. We had a recarro high back 123 but couldn't wedge her in it. I'm not a fan of booster cushions so tried her without. Fortunately not only was she tall but long of body and the belt fit correctly. I felt this was the safest option for her.
High back booster should have lasted till she was 12. She's 11 now and nearly 5ft 7 so it wouldn't have lasted anyway.

I need a new seat for DS who is 5 as we broke his last week moving ot from one car to another. Can anyone recommend a good one?

DS is 7 and out of his, he’s 138 cm

I'd say it depends on the car - DS2(9) doesn't sit in one in our car as the seatbelt sits fine on his shoulder etc but in his grandad's car he still sits on a HBB because of the position of the seatbelt.

I think there is a lot of mud information on this thread. My understanding is that it's best to stay in seat for as long as possible, they are physically not strong enough as young as 7 or 8, and as per the picture someone posted, they need a booster to get them in the right position for the seat belt to be on their lap and resting on their shoulder.
As for seat weight limits, my understanding g is that's only really applicable if the seat has its own straps, if it's a booster where the child uses the car seat belt, weight would only be limited by what the car seat belt can cope with.

No @Aeroflotgirl 😄

It is rear facing to 18kg which was 5 years old for DD1. Then FF on an ISOFIX base until 25kg with seatbelt restraint. After 25kg you remove the ISOFIX base and it is a HBB to 36kg/12 years/150cm.

10yo 150cm

DD is 11 and 147cm, and will be in her HBB until she is 150cm..

My 7 year old is 138 cm. She goes without a booster if we are doing short journeys with additional kids in the car that need her seat, otherwise we keep her in it. The seat belt seems to fit fine both ways though but will check tomorrow referencing that diagram that pp posted!

How the hell can an 8 year old be in a rear facing car seat? Surely after the age of about 2 their legs are too long?! Mine stopped using car seats when they hit 135cm.

i do not understand so many parents' desperation for their kids to be out of car seats, its far safer with them

I never understand this either. We had to buy new car seats when Ds1 was 8 and we were informed that he was tall enough not to be in it. I told the assistant to come to my car and see that the seatbelt cut him across the neck. He may be tall but it was all in his legs, his torso was short.

He stayed in the new high back car seat until he was in year 6 and became too tall. Ds2 still needed one in year 6 too.

I don't understand why you wouldn't want your child to be protected at all costs in an accident, especially from side impacts. I never used booster seats, always highbacks and even when we needed them for 2 cars. Maybe I watch too many accident and emergency programs which tells me how incredibly breakable the human body is.

we drive a lot in europe.
rules are car seat up to 150cm.
if you get stopped the fines are massive. and it's much much safer for dc to be in a car seat.

Check the seat- it probably goes to 150cm but actually even that is a bit misleading as not all 150cm tall children are built the same- just like adults. It is now to do with torso length. Ie I’m almost the exact same height as my husband but I have a two inch longer inside leg- clearly one of us has a longer torso than the other despite being very similar heights, it works the same for children. Since HBBs use the car seat belt there is no upper weight limit on them, but obviously they still need to fit into it properly- ie shoulders don’t touch the underside of any built in head rest etc etc. So long as the belt routes properly over the collar bone and hips then you can use it for as long as they fit into it. Although it is legal for children of 135cm+ to be without a booster, it is not necessarily safe (the picture a PP posted earlier is a really good one to test readiness).

Oh and to those who are scoffing about how they are only just taller than 150cm and how they should need a booster- you don’t because you’re an adult. Your bones are fully formed and your pelvis is fully attached to all its surrounding structures. A child of 7, no matter how tall, does not have either of these as the development is age related not height or weight related.

More to do with* not now to do with

It's 150cm here in Ireland. I'm surprised by some of the opinions here. Amongst people I know it's high back boosters for as long as possible are the norm. I don't understand the rush some people here seem to be in to get rid of them ASAP.

We drive a lot in Europe so have ones that go up to 150cm. DS is 8 and 142cm, so I think he'll be out of it next year.

So glad to read this thread. In my area 3 year olds are sitting on bolster cushions, my 7 & 9 year old feel a bit self-consious about their high backed boosters. You’ve reassured me I’m not the alien (well... I am here) for not wanting to chuck them out of their safe seats.